We explain what a biography is, its origin and how this writing is classified. Also, what are its features, extension and more.
What is a Biography?
The biography is a writing that addresses the life of a historical or popular personality of interest to the readership, providing details regarding the conditions of birth and death, triumphs and failures, as well as other pertinent information.Biographies are prepared by a researcher or specialist in the field , and not by the same personality (as in autobiography ). This specialist is known as a biographer and the personality as a biographer .
The characteristics are diverse, since they depend on the interest and approach of the biographer regarding the life and importance of the biographee, but they usually have in common that they are more or less circumscribed to the events of his life, providing the historical keys that are considered necessary to understand its relevance to public opinion.
Origin of the term Biography
The word biography is made up of the Greek words bíos (“life”) and graphos (“writing”) , so it literally means “the writing of a life.”
Genre of the biography
Biography is a hybrid genre between literature and history , often considered part of the "memorialistic" (such as the private diary, memoirs, etc.) and difficult to classify between narrative and essay .
Biography Background
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Medieval hagiography, for example, recounted the lives of the holy martyrs of the Catholic Church , emphasizing the aspects of holiness that interested him; but already in ancient times the history of mythical heroes was told in terms similar to those of a biography. From the Renaissance his writing becomes secular and more scientific, and then the rules of objectivity that are still required today are born.
biography types
There are different types of biography, according to their official status:
- Authorized. The one that has the approval of the biographer or his heirs and executors, that is, the one that has survived a certain process of censorship.
- Unauthorized. That written without approval and revision of the biographed character or his heirs.
- False. It is known as false autobiography or false biography to works of fiction that pretend to be biographical writings.
Delimitation of the biography
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For example, a biography about a politician will emphasize his background in the field or the early childhood events that marked his adult behavior , but not his favorite foods or other forgettable aspects.
Objectivity of the biography
A certain objectivity is commonly required from a biography when relating the facts . It is possible for a biographer to offer a certain interpretation of the same, which can be more or less subjective, but at no time can he falsify what happened, hide, lie or distort the historical truth.
biographical approach
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biographical novelty
Since there are numerous biographies of the most transcendental characters in the history of humanity, each of the new ones requires a certain freshness in their investigations , a certain contemporaneity in their reading or, even, certain secret or infrequent information regarding the character. biographed
Biography Extension
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Biography Value
The value of biographical texts will be determined not so much by the veracity of the events reviewed, but by the specific approach that the biographer makes of them , that is, his contribution to the study and understanding of the life of the chosen character.The above content published at Collaborative Research Group is for informational and educational purposes only and has been developed by referring reliable sources and recommendations from technology experts. We do not have any contact with official entities nor do we intend to replace the information that they emit.
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MA student of the TransAtlantic Masters program at UNC-Chapel Hill. Political Science with a focus on European Studies. Expressed ideas are open to revision. He not only covers Technical articles but also has skills in the fields of SEO, graphics, web development and coding. .
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